RANSOM  BETHUNE  WELCH,  I).  IX,  LL  I). 


/  MEMORIAL. 


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BX 

9225 

3 

.W44 

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1891 

ye .   S^  7A-i-£^^- 


ADDRESSES 


IX  MEMORY  OF 


RANSOM  BETIIUNE  WELCH,  D.I).,  LL.  D., 


PROFESSOR   OF  CHRISTIAN  THEOLOGY 

IN 

AUBURN  THEOLOGICAL  .SEMINARY. 

DELIVERED    IN    THE 

FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  AUBURN,  N.  Y. 

NOYEMBER  ii.   1S90, 
BY 

y 

REV.  JAMES  S.  RIGGS,  D.  D., 

-\ND 

REV.  TEUNIS  S.   HAMLIN,  D.  D. 


AUBURN.  N.  Y.,  1S91. 


PRESS  OF  KNAPP,  PECK  &  THOMSON, 

AUBURN,  N.  Y. 


The  lore  of  Christ  and  his  apostles  twelve 
He  taught;  kU,  first,  he  folloiued  it  himselve. 


THE  MEMORIAL  SERVICES. 

Professor  Welch  fell  asleep  at  Healing  Springs, 
Virginia,  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  June,  1890.  The 
burial  was  in  the  Fort  Hill  cemetery  in  Auburn,  on 
the  second  of  July.  At  his  late  residence  and  at  the 
grave,  there  were  brief  and  simple  services,  conducted 
by  his  pastor,  with  the  assistance  of  the  profes- 
sors in  the  Seminary  and  other  ministers  of  Auburn. 

On  Tuesday  evening,  the  eleventh  of  November, 
1890,  memorial  services  were  held  in  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  Auburn,  pursuant  to  arrangements 
made  by  the  faculty  of  the  Seminary.  These  ser- 
vices were  in  charge  of  the  Rev.  William  H.  Hub- 
bard, the  pastor  of  the  church,  and  Mr.  I.  V.  Flagler, 
the  organist.  After  the  invocation  and  the  singing 
of  a  hymn,  the  Rev.  Talbot  W.  Chambers,  D.  D.,  of 
New  York,  read  a  portion  of  Scripture,  and  offered 
prayer.  Mrs.  Charlotte  Robinson  Winkler  sang  "O 
rest    in    the    Lord !"    (from    Mendelssohn's   ElijaJi). 


Professor  James  S.  Riggs,  D.  D.,  speaking  in  behalf 
of  the  pupils  and  the  colleagues  of  Professor  Welch 
in  the  Seminary,  delivered  an  address.  Mrs.  Wink- 
ler sang  James  McGranahan's  •'  Beloved,  now  are  we 
the  sons  of  God."  This  was  followed  by  the  longer 
address  of  the  evening,  by  the  Rev.  Teunis  S.  Ham- 
lin, D.  E).,  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Covenant, 
Washington,  D.  C.  Afterward,  the  Rev,  A.  M.Stowe, 
a  Seminary  classmate  of  Professor  Welch,  offered 
prayer,  a  hymn  was  sung,  and  the  service  closed  with 
the  benediction,  pronounced  by  the  Rev.  John  Brain- 
ard,  D.  D.,  rector  of  St  Peter's  Church,  Auburn. 


IN  MEMORY  OF  DR.  WELCH 


ADDRESS  BY 

PROFESSOR  JAMES  S.  RIGGS,  D.D. 


ADDRESS. 

Because  of  the  double  relationship  of  pupil  and 
colleague,  the  privilege  of  saying  a  few  words,  in 
memory  of  him  whom  we  are  glad  to  honor,  has  been 
given  to  me  by  my  brethren.  The  picture  before  me, 
which  I  wish  to  outline  for  you,  is  not  that  which  has 
for  its  background  the  large  relationship  of  the  church 
and  the  world.  The  more  competent  pencil  of  him 
who  succeeds  me  will  give  you  that.  Rather  out  of 
that  sphere  of  life  in  which  both  as  students  and 
teachers  we  had  a  common  part,  come  to  me  now 
those  memories  which  are  inseparable  from  the  kind, 
familiar  face  to  be  seen  no  more  here  on  earth. 

In  one's  course  of  preparation  for  the  business  of 
life,  that  is  a  time  of  earnest  thoughtfulness  and  quick- 
ening realization,  when  work  begins  upon  those  sub- 
jects which  lie  close  to  a  chosen  line  of  future  action. 
To  the  student  for  the  ministry  this  is  peculiarly  true 
of  Theology.  Never  to  be  studied  in  the  cold  light  of 
intellectual  illumination  alone,  but  always  with  the  reg. 


10 

ulative  help  of  spiritual  sympathy  and  insight,  it  stands 
as  the  great  central  theme  of  the  Seminary  curriculum, 
requiring  the  best  there  is  within  us  and  all  there  is 
mentally  within  us  for  its  development.  Well  can  I 
remember  the  earnest  interest  with  which  we  gathered 
as  a  class  for  the  great  study.  As  I  recall  these  days, 
and  the  many  earnest  talks  which  since  then  I  have 
enjoyed  with  him  in  his  study,  three  characteristics  of 
Dr.  Welch  as  a  teacher  stand  out  before  me.  The 
first  of  these  was  his  earnestness  for  the  truth.  The 
great  themes  of  the  class-room  were  always  to  him  vital 
in  their  import.  The  exigencies  of  the  hour  often 
demanded  that  the  outline  of  their  meaning  should 
be  given  us,  but  many  a  time  I  have  seen  him  turn 
from  his  notes  and  with  warmth  of  feeling  and  in 
imaginative  vision  seek  to  make  the  truth  stand  out 
before  us.  His  theology  was  Christ-centred  and  all 
aglow  with  his  convictions  regarding  the  justice, 
mercy  and  love  of  God.  Peculiarly  he  loved  to  dwell 
upon  those  unities  of  thought  which  gave  scope  to 
his  imagination.  He  saw  the  foe  making  attack  all 
"along  the  line  "  of  the  Christian  defences  ;  the  con- 
summation of  all  things  in  Christ,  King  of  Kings, 
and  Lord  of  Lords,  was  often  before  him.    The  great 


II 

sweep  of  Paul's  triumphant  thinking  inspired  him. 
He  delighted  in  that  which  was  comprehensive,  and, 
while  not  so  congenial  to  his  mental  habits,  he  was 
none  the  less  earnest  about  those  teachings  which  were 
concerned  with  details.  Every  student  who  has  been 
under  him  will  remember  his  carefulness  about  the 
doctrine  of  Inspiration  and  his  insistance  upon  clear 
and  right  conceptions  of  the  Atonement.  Indeed, 
the  cross  as  the  "  symbol  of  the  ages,"  that  emblem 
of  divine  love  and  sacrifice  "towering  o'er  the  wrecks 
of  time,"  suited  well  his  love  of  ideal  unities,  and  it 
was  often  the  subject  of  his  spoken  thoughts.  More 
and  more  as  I  have  been  permitted  to  enter  into  fel- 
lowship with  him,  was  the  earnestness  of  his  thought 
and  life  regarding  these  high  things  made  manifest. 
Upon  the  great  sustaining  truths  of  the  Gospel  his 
own  life  securely,  serenely  rested.  No  mere  desire 
for  large  phrase  or  great-orbed  conceptions  impelled 
him.  He  saw  as  a  man  sees  who  stands  upon  some 
height.  There  he  preferred  to  stand.  The  measure 
of  his  conception  was  in  the  reach  of  his  vision — 
and  vision  he  had,  to  him  inspiring  and  uplifting. 

Out  of  his  earnestness  for  the  truth  as  he  saw  it 
came  a  second  characteristic,  and  that  was  a  conserva- 


12 

tive  caution.  Clearly,  sharply  drawn  in  his  own 
thinking,  was  the  line  between  revealed  and  specula- 
tive truth.  In  regard  to  the  latter  he  was  exceedingly 
careful.  When  a  sure  word  of  scripture  was  not 
behind  him,  he  was  cautiously  reticent.  I  am  but 
bearing  witness,  I  believe,  to  experience  when  I  say 
that  often  a  class  in  theology  will  rush  in  where 
"  angels  fear  to  tread."  Metaphysical  discussions  con- 
cerning the  very  throne-room  of  God  are  easily  in 
order.  Questions  which  themselves  bristle  with  dis- 
pute are  made  off-hand.  Two  reasons  seem  to  have 
shut  out  the  Socratic  method  from  Dr.  Welch's  class- 
room— his  wish  to  avoid  useless  discussion  and  his 
earnest  desire  to  place  before  his  students  a  system  of 
truth  in  its  entirety.  Like  Dr.  Charles  Hodge  of 
Princeton,  he  preferred  that  way  which,  if  possible, 
makes  one  part  of  a  developing  system  fit  into  and 
explain  another,  and  leaves  all  to  the  help  of  reflection. 
From  this  cautious  attitude  he  refused  to  be  moved  ; 
whatever  the  judgments  of  his  own  thought,  he  would 
not  be  drawn  incautiously  into  definition  and  defense. 
Both  experience  and  circumstances,  doubtless,  con- 
vinced him  of  the  ultimate  fruitlessness  of  all  merely 
impulsive  discussion.     Time  was  too  short,  the  sub- 


ject  too  great  to  permit  of  it.  This  same  careful 
cautiousness  characterized  all  his  utterances  upon 
those  questions  which  are  so  provocative  of  differences 
of  opinion.  Anything  like  dialectic  fencing  was  dis- 
tasteful to  him.  He  himself  weighed,  measured  what 
he  had  to  say  upon  difficult  and  disputed  points.  He 
felt  the  unsafety  of  any  other  way  of  procedure. 

In  this  mere  sketch  of  his  prominent  characteristics 
as  a  teacher,  I  wish  place  for  one  other,  and  that  was 
his  progressive  and  charitable  spirit.  At  first  glance 
this  may  seem  inconsistent  with  that  habitual  caution 
of  which  I  have  spoken.  It  was  not  so.  He  was 
cautiously  progressive.  He  saw  and  felt,  as  many 
have  felt  with  him,  that  men's  thoughts  about  God  and 
His  unchanging  purposes  are  widening.  In  these 
enlarging  thoughts  he  caught  fresh  glimpses  of  that 
coming  consummation,  when  in  the  harmony  of  the 
Spirit,  all  Christendom,  forgetting  its  unessential  differ- 
ences, should  seek  with  one  heart-purpose  the  evan- 
gelization of  the  world.  And  the  realization  brought 
him  back  with  renewed  delight  to  think  upon  those 
ideal  unities  of  which  I  have  spoken.  I  shall  not 
soon  forget  the  last  talk  I   had  with  him  about  that 


14 

cardinal  doctrine  of  our  Confession — election.  How 
little  we  then  knew  that  he  should  soon  see  its  mean- 
ing from  the  heights  of  heaven  and  join  with  those 
who  sing  the  song  of  the  Lamb  "  slain  from  the  foun- 
dation of  the  world  !"  I  ci^o  know  that  that  day  he 
magnified  once  and  again  the  love  of  God  and  tried 
to  lift  the  teaching  of  "God's  elect"  up  and  away 
from  between  the  hard  and  fast  lines  of  heartless 
logical  deduction  into  the  radiant  light  of  the  truth 
of  the  redeeming  love  of  God.  And  we  all  know 
with  what  care  he  labored,  in  conjunction  with  one  of 
our  honored  city  pastors,  to  put  into  form  for  Presby- 
terial  consideration  his  conceptions  of  the  progress  of 
thought  beyond  the  statements  of  our  Confession. 
His  conclusions  were  not  born  of  haste,  nor  of  mere 
sentimental  considerations ;  they  were  based  upon  a 
study  of  the  Word,  and  formed  after  a  wide  consider- 
ation of  the  reasoning  of  others. 

Never  in  all  my  fellowship  with  him  did  I  hear  him 
deal  in  harsh  judgments  upon  others.  He  had  his 
opinions,  as  all  thinking  men  are  bound  to  have.  If 
ever  he  chose  to  express  them,  and  this  was  not 
often,  it  was  with  no  bitterness,  generally  with  some 
charitable  apology  for  what  seemed  amiss. 


15 

Such  he  was  as  a  teacher.  The  lectures  are  over  ; 
the  voice  is  silent,  but  the  memories  of  him  will  go 
on  with  us  all,  "till  we  meet  again." 

A  group  of  six  men  is  not  very  large.  With  pain- 
ful emphasis  came  the  message  of  life's  brevity  and 
uncertainty,  as  our  fellow-laborer  was  called  away. 
We  had  rejoiced  for  his  sake  that  the  end  of  the  year 
was  near,  that  he  might  have  change  of  scene  and 
freedom  from  care.  How  gloriously,  after  all,  both 
came  to  him.  Not  among  the  mountains  or  by  the 
sea,  not  in  quietude  of  mind  about  the  problems  of 
life,  nor  in  the  rest  of  a  tired,  suffering  body,  but 
amid  the  scenes  that  no  finite  thought  can  picture  ;  in 
rest  eternal ! 

When  some  years  ago  my  face  was  first  turned 
toward  Auburn  as  a  student,  this  word  was  given  me : 
you  will  find  Dr.  Welch  a  man  of  reserved,  rather 
formal  manners,  but  beneath  all  he  has  a  warm  heart. 
May  I  now  bear  witness  to  the  abundant  truth  of  all 
this.  From  first  to  last  he  was  my  friend — warm- 
hearted and  sincere.  The  reserve  of  which  I  have 
spoken  and  which  was  not  easy  for  him  to  put  away, 
prevented  many  from  really  knowing  him.     It  placed 


i6 

an  undefinable  barrier  about  him,  and  I  cannot  but 
feel  that  he  lost  something  by  reason  of  it,  for  sym- 
pathy is  so  full  of  blessings  both  to  him  who  gives  it 
and  to  him  who  receives  it.  To  any  of  you,  then,  who 
came  no  nearer  to  him  than  that  felt  boundary  would 
permit,  let  me  tell  you  of  his  brave,  sympathetic,  cor- 
dial heart,  which  revealed  itself  to  me  more  than  once, 
in  helpful  counsel  and  cordial  kindness  ;  and  I  am  only 
one  of  those  who  knew  him.  His  love  for  the  Semi- 
nary needs  no  word  of  confirmation.  As  coming 
classes  shall  meet  in  ampler  rooms  for  work,  and  have 
the  help  of  greater  facilities  for  the  accomplishment 
of  their  desires,  his  name  again  shall  be  repeated  and 
the  measure  of  his  affection  gained  anew. 

It  was  not  until  after  he  was  gone  that  we  knew  of 
the  weary  hours  of  agonizing  pain  that  attended  upon 
nearly  every  effort  that  he  made  ;  but,  as  I  remember 
the  cheerful  face,  the  uncomplaining  fortitude,  the 
indomitable  fidelity,  which  kept  him  in  our  midst 
working,  counseling,  enduring,  till  the  close  of  the 
year,  all  other  sweet  memories  of  him  are  but  strength- 
ened and  beautified. 

And  now  we  gather  here,  with  the  night  shadows 
about  us,  to  remember  him.     Our  memory   touches 


17 

upon  the  scenes  which  were  only  as  the  threshold  of 
life  to  him,  for  while  I  remember  him  as  amid  those,  I 
think  of  him  now  exulting  in  the  surpassing  realities, 
whose  dim  reflection  in  the  words  of  truth  so  often 
inspired  him;  glad  with  the  gladness  of  heaven,  going 
on,  and  on,  and  on,  to  know  the  Lord  and  the  count- 
less wonders  of  His  grace. 


RANSOM  BETHUNE  WELCH 


ADDRESS  BY 


THE  REV.  TEUNIS  S.  HAMLIN,  D.  D. 


ADDRESS. 

A  gentleman  of  singular  polish  and  courtesy  ;  a 
scholar  of  wide  and  accurate  research  ;  a  teacher  whose 
clearness  and  frankness  won,  and  whose  thoroughness 
stimulated  every  pupil  ;  a  preacher  of  gentle,  though 
logical  and  persuasive  eloquence  ;  a  writer  of  lucid 
and  vigorous  style  ;  a  theologian  of  views  as  broad 
as  they  were  sound  and  Scriptural  ;  a  friend  always 
thoughtful,  self-denying  and  steadfast ;  a  man  of 
affairs,  keenly  alive  to  every  social  and  public  interest ; 
a  Christian  that  impressed  every  observer  as  living 
each  hour  very  near  his  Lord  ; — such  was  Ransom 
Bethune  Welch.  To  trace  the  development  of  his 
life  and  character,  and  to  sketch  his  multifarious  labors, 
is  the  delightful  duty  with  which  you  have  been 
pleased  to  honor  me.  I  thank  you  for  the  privilege 
of  laying  my  offering  of  undying  love  upon  his  grave, 
here  among  his  colleagues  and  pupils,  and  the  num- 
berless neighbors  and  friends  that  knew  and  admired 
him,  and  that  cherish  his  memory  as  a  precious 
heritage. 


22 

Dr.  Welch  was  born  on  the  27th  of  January,  1824, 
in  the  town  of  Greenville,  in  Greene  county,  New 
York.  He  was  of  Holland  blood.  His  father,  John 
Welch,  was  a  farmer  ;  handsome,  of  refined  manners, 
and  of  marked  religious  character.  His  mother, 
Hannah  Van  Etten,  was  a  model  of  thrift  and  piety. 
From  such  parents  have  sprung  the  vast  majority  of 
our  eminent  scholars,  statesmen,  merchants,  inventors, 
authors ;  who  have  made  the  American  name 
respected  throughout  the  world. 

Ransom  was  the  youngest  of  fifteen  children,  all 
honest,  industrious  and  moral,  though  not  all  secured 
a  liberal  education  ;  all  of  whom  lived  to  have  families 
of  their  own,  but  of  whom  only  one  survives.  His 
early  years  were  spent  on  the  farm,  and  attending  the 
district  school,  an  institution  now  too  little  esteemed, 
but  which  has  awakened  in  many  a  man  a  thirst  for 
knowledge,  and  started  him  on  the  road  to  greatness. 
It  did  this,  and  something  more,  for  him  ;  for  his  first 
distinct  religious  impressions  came  through  the  daily 
Bible-reading  and  prayer  of  his  devout  teacher, 
Thankful  Smith.  He  never  doubted  that  in  these 
early  days  he  fully  gave  his  heart  to  Christ. 

His  parents  were  members  of  the  Christian  Church ; 


23 

In  which  on  the  15th  of  July,  1836,  at  twelve  and  one- 
half  years  of  age,  Ransom  was  baptized  by  immer- 
sion. He  was  at  once,  as  always,  an  outspoken,  active, 
aggressive  disciple.  A  life-long  friend  says  :  "A  prayer 
that  I  heard  him  offer  when  he  was  about  fourteen 
years  old,  wrought  in  me  the  first  conviction  that  I 
needed  repentance  and  forgiveness." 

He  was  always  fond  of  study,  and  quickly  won  and 
steadily  maintained  a  reputation  for  being  at  the 
head  of  his  classes.  He  was  thorough  in  everything, 
never  passing  a  point  until  he  understood  it,  shunning 
nothing  because  it  was  difficult.  This  high  grade  of 
scholarship  brought  him  admiration  ;  his  beauty,  his 
gentleness,  his  refinement,  his  humor,  brought  him 
love  ;  and  he  was  a  general  favorite  throughout  the 
community. 

From  boyhood  he  made  his  own  way  in  the  world. 
His  chief  income  came  from  teaching  country  schools. 
Before  he  was  sixteen  he  went  into  a  district  where 
many  of  his  pupils  were  older  and  larger  than  himself, 
and  where  his  frailty  totally  unfitted  him  to  meet  the 
inevitable  bullies  of  such  a  school  on  their  own  ground 
of  force.  But  he  met  them  on -his  orround  of  tact  and 
gentleness  and   patience  and  love  ;    and  speedily  was 


24 

master  of  the  situation,  and  achieved  complete  suc- 
cess. The  amount  of  money  thus  earned  was  very 
small ;  and  it  was  supplemented  only  by  $60,  for 
which  sum  he  sold  his  interest  in  a  legacy  left  him  by 
an  uncle.  But  the  cost  of  living  in  rural  places  was 
then  very  moderate  ;  he  had  no  expensive  habits  ; 
and  was  neither  afraid  nor  ashamed  of  rigid  economy. 
He  pursued  a  thorough  preparatory  course  at  the 
Gallupville  and  Greenville  academies,  leading  his 
classes  in  all  studies,  despite  the  frequent  and  serious 
interruptions  of  teaching. 

In  1844,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  he  entered  the  junior 
class  at  Union  College,  where  he  at  once  and  con- 
stantly signalized  himself  by  scholarship  and  charac- 
ter. A  college  classmate^  writes  of  him  as  "  an  indus- 
trious and  conscientious  student  ;  a  genial,  unselfish 
and  loved  companion  ;  an  unostentatious  and  noble 
Christian  young  man." 

Near  the  close  of  this  college  year  Prof.  Alonzo 
Potter,  afterward  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania,  testified  to 
his  "  high  standing  as  a  scholar  and  unexceptionable 
character  as  a  Christian."-     The  next  year  President 

'  The  Hon.  John  T.  WentwortU,  Racine,  Wis. 

'July  17,  1845. 


25 

Nott  pronounced  him  of  "unblemished  moral  and 
religious  character,  and  well  qualified  to  take  charge 
of  an  academy."'  These  testimonials  were  given  to 
aid  him  in  finding  teaching  for  self-support.  He  was 
graduated  in  1846,  in  a  class  of  106  members;  one  of 
twenty-six  that  had  an  equally  high  standing,^  another 
being  the  Hon.  Henry  R.  Pierson,  late  Chancellor  of 
the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society. 

For  two  years  he  continued  the  work  of  teaching, 
first,  as  principal  of  the  Academy  at  Red  Hook,  New 
York;  afterward,  at  the  Academy  at  Jonesville,  New 
York,  then  a  very  prosperous  school.  His  salary  here 
was,  for  the  first  term,  $30  a  month  and  poor  board  ; 
subsequently  $40. 

Meanwhile  he  had  been  reading  widely  and  think- 
ing deeply  upon  religious  themes,  with  the  result  of 
gradually  drifting  away  from  the  Unitarian  bias  of  his 
childhood,  and  becoming  a  thoroughly-grounded  Trin- 
itarian. The  views  thus  formed  by  independent 
research  were  of  course  peculiarly  clear ;  and  he 
never  ceased  to  feel  that  this  experience  enabled  him 

'  Feb.  20,  1846. 

'  All  were  marked  500+ ,  according  to  the  system  then  in  use. 


26 

to  help  young  men  who  were  passing  through  similar 
seasons  of  painful  doubt  and  questioning. 

He  had  long  had  the  ministry  in  view  as  his  life-work; 
and  in  the  autumn  of  184S  he  went  to  New  York 
city,  intending  to  enter  the  Union  Theological  Semi- 
nary. His  earnestness  and  promptness  in  all  religi- 
ous duty  are  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  at  once  joined 
the  Bleecker  Street  Church,  of  which  Dr.  Erskine 
Mason  was  then  pastor,  and  took  a  Bible-class  in  its 
Sunday  school.  Even  at  this  early  age  of  twenty- 
four,  his  bent  was  distinctly  toward  theology,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  the  other  Seminary  studies  ;  and  the 
great  fame  of  Prof.  Park  attracted  him  to  Andover. 
After  getting  that  splendid  teacher's  system  in  the 
junior  and  middle  years,  the  same  passion  for  this 
chief  of  the  sciences  brought  him  to  Auburn  to  sit 
at  the  feet  of  Dr.  Laurens  P.  Hickok.  Here  he 
repeated  the  middle  year,  and  took  the  senior. 

What  a  rare  training  in  theology,  to  have  full 
courses  under  two  such  men  as  Park  and  Hickok! 
Of  the  former's  magnificent  abilities  and  unique  fas- 
cination as  a  teacher  I  know  only  what  all  the  world 
knows.  But  of  the  latter's  majestic  simplicity  of 
character,  profound  moral  earnestness,  child-like  faith, 


27 

self-denying  unworldliness, burning  devotion  toChrist; 
of  his  depth  of  philosophical  insight,  his  logical  acu- 
men, his  herculean  grasp  of  the  greatest  problems  of 
human  thought,  and  his  masterful  elucidation  of  them; 
I  can  speak  with  the  loving  gratitude  of  a  reverent 
pupil.  It  would  be  hard  to  name  two  men  that  have 
produced  a  deeper  impress  than  have  these  on  the 
metaphysics,  the  ethics  and  the  theology  of  this  and 
the  preceding  generation. 

Mr.  Welch's  class  in  this  Seminary,  that  of  1852, 
was  a  very  remarkable  one.  All  of  its  thirty  mem- 
bers have  honored  their  profession  and  their  Alma 
Mater.  There  have  been  among  them  eminent  pas- 
tors, such  as  Dr.  Robert  R.  Booth,  of  New  York  ; 
executive  officers,  as  secretary  N.  G.  Clark,  of  the 
American  Board ;  college  presidents,  as  Dr.  Park 
S.  Donelson,  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  Female  College, 
and  Dr.  Julius  H.  Seelye  of  Amherst  ;  professors  in 
theological  seminaries,  as  Dr.  Herrick  of  Bangor, 
Dr.  Morris  of  Lane  and  Dr.  Welch  of  Auburn.  And 
many  of  these  men  have  duplicated  the  honors  they 
have  nobly  won  ;  president  Seelye  having  served  bril- 
liantly for  four  years  in  congress,  and  Dr.  Morris 
having   been  moderator  of   the   General  Assembly  ; 


28 

while  of  the  sixteen  clerical  members  of  the  Assem- 
bly's committee  to  revise  the  Confession  of  Faith, 
two,  Drs.  Morris  and  Booth,  are  of  this  class.  It  is 
a  notable  fact  that  when  the  chair  of  theology  here 
became  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Hall,  five 
members  of  the  class  of  1852  were  deemed  worthy 
of  the  succession  to  which  Dr.  Welch  was  finally 
appointed.  Dr.  James  Eells,  professor  in  Lane  Sem- 
inary and  moderator  of  General  Assembly,  Dr.  John 
Bascom,  long  president  of  the  University  of  Wis- 
consin, and  Dr.  F.  F.  Ellinwood,  secretary  of  the 
Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  were  fellow 
students  with  him  in  the  Seminary,  though  not 
classmates. 

At  the  close  of  his  middle  year  here,  he  was 
licensed  to  preach  by  the  Presbytery  of  Onondaga,  in 
session  at  Salina,  June  12,  185 1.  He  preached  fre- 
quently as  was,  and  is,  the  wise  custom  of  students  ; 
supplying  for  some  time  the  church  at  Jordan.  In 
January,  1853,  he  was  called  to  what  is  now  the  Con- 
gregational Church  of  Oswego,  then  the  Second 
Presbyterian.  He  entered  upon  the  work  ;  but  the 
lake  winds  proved  too  severe  for  his  weak  lungs,  and 
he  declined  to  be  installed. 


29 

Very  delicate  health  induced  him  to  make,  in  1853 
and  1854,  a  tour  on  horseback  through  the  south,  espe- 
cially Mississippi,  as  a  colporteur  of  the  American 
Tract  Society.  His  sales  of  books  were  unpreceden- 
ted; and  he  was  urged  to  continue  in  the  work.  But  as 
soon  as  he  had  gained  sufficient  health,  he  was  eager 
to  be  again  in  the  pulpit,  to  which  he  felt  himself 
unmistakably  called  of  God.  He  was  even  able  to  say 
with  Paul,  "  Woe  is  unto  me  if  I  preach  not  the  Gos- 
pel." Accordingly  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Reformed 
(Dutch)  Church  of  Gilboa,  N.  Y.,  and  was  ordained 
and  installed  Jan.  9,  1855,  by  the  Classis  of  Schoharie. 
He  'at  once  took  rank  as  a  preacher  of  such  power 
and  attractiveness  that  people  drove  many  miles  to 
attend  his  services.  A  revival  soon  began  that 
brought  some  sixty  persons  to  confess  their  faith  in 
Christ. 

From  Gilboa  he  was  called  to  Catskill,  and  installed 
over  the  large  and  influential  Reformed  (Dutch) 
Church  on  the  17th  of  April,  1856.  His  first  work 
here  was  the  removal  of  a  lono^-standinor  debt  of  some 
$3,500,  toward  which  he  gave  $100,  one-tenth  of  his 
yearly  salary,  besides  personally  securing  most  of  the 
subscriptions. 


He  found  the  church  in  a  very  cold  and  back-slidden 
condition.  Only  one  member  of  it  would  pray  in  public. 
He  felt  that  such  a  state  of  things,  unless  corrected, 
would  kill  him  ;  and  he  at  once  threw  himself  into 
unstinted  labors  for  a  revival  of  religion.  His  preach- 
ino-  on  the  Lord's  day  was  heart-searching  and  ten- 
derly appealing.  He  held  services  during  the  week 
in  the  five  rural  neighborhoods  of  the  parish  where 
Sunday  Schools  were  maintained.  He  conducted  cot- 
tage prayer-meetings,  and  social  meetings  for  counsel 
and  instruction.  He  visited  almost  night  and  day 
from  house  to  house.  He  succeeded  in  setting  many 
idle  Christians  at  work.  Soon  God's  Spirit  was  gra- 
ciously poured  out,  and  a  powerful  revival  spread,  not 
only  through  his  own  congregation,  but  through  the 
entire  community.  One  hundred  and  thirty-seven 
persons  confessed  Christ  in  Mr.  Welch's  church 
alone  ;  and  no  subsequent  communion  season  passed 
without  accessions  to  the  church  from  the  world. 

During  these  arduous  labors,  the  pastor  employed 
no  evangelist,  or  other  clerical  helper.  And  this  as  a 
matter  of  deliberate  choice.  I  have  heard  him  say 
that  he  believed  a  pastor  should  do  his  own  evangel- 
izing work  just  as  far  as  possible,  since  no  other  man 


31 

can  so  well  know  the  needs  of  his  people  and  how  to 
supply  them. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  he  learned  an  experimental 
lesson,  invaluable  to  him  and  to  every  minister  of 
Christ.  He  was  much  worn  by  incessant  labors. 
The  week  had  been  full  of  interruptions.  Sunday 
morning  found  him  illy  prepared  for  the  pulpit.  He 
said  to  the  relative,'  from  whom  I  get  these  facts  :  "  I 
walked  across  the  bridge,  and  up  the  hill  to  the  church, 
feeling  sorely  depressed,  and  saying  to  myself,  '  There 
is  nothing  in  the  sermon  worth  uttering.  How  can  I 
face  the  congregation  with  the  poor,  half-digested 
thoughts  that  it  contains  ?  O  Lord,  if  any  good  is 
done  today.  Thou,  and  not  I,  must  do  it ! '"  In  such 
conscious  humiliation,  and  with  an  earnest  appeal  to 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  help  his  infirmities,  and  make  good 
his  deficiencies,  he  entered  the  pulpit.  He  was  not 
conscious  of  any  marked  uplifting  of  his  downcast 
soul.  At  the  close  of  the  service  he  hastened  to  the 
privacy  of  his  room  that  he  might  abase  himself 
before  the  Lord  as  an  unprofitable  servant.  He  had 
no  expectation  of  ever  hearing  anything  good  in  con- 
nection with  that  poor  sermon.     But  during  the  same 

'Rev.  John  W.  Teal,  D.  D.,  Elizabeth,  N.  J. 


32 

week  a  young  man,  who  had  been  awakened  by  it 
came  to  Mr.  Welch  to  ask  what  he  must  do  to  be 
saved ;  and  at  least  half  of  those  that  became 
Christians  durinor  that  revival  traced  their  first  desire 
and  purpose  to  that  sermon. 

During  those  three  years  at  Catskill  Mr.  Welch 
was  emphatically  a  pastor,  proving  his  complete  fit- 
ness, in  everything  except  physical  strength,  for  that 
most  practical  and  exacting  sphere  of  ministerial  labor. 
One  of  his  parishioners^  at  that  time,  writes :  "  He  had 
a  faculty  for  setting  his  people  to  work,  and  there  was 
no  resisting  his  loving  urgency.  His  sermons  and 
prayers  were  full  of  the  marrow  of  the  Gospel.  He 
was  active  and  industrious,  neglecting  no  one  that 
required  his  services.  The  only  pain  he  ever  gave 
us  was  when  he  resigned  his  place  as  our  pastor." 

This  resignation  was  due  solely  to  ill  health.  While 
conducting  a  cottage  prayer-meeting  he  was  seized 
with  violent  hemorrhage  from  the  lungs.  The  church 
granted  him  protracted  leave  of  absence  ;  but  it  soon 
became  evident  that  he  could  not  resume  his  duties  ; 
and  on  the  25th  of  May,  1859,  ^^^  Consistory  reluc- 
tantly accepted  his  reiterated  resignation. 

•  Mr.  Wm.  H.  VanOrden,  Catskill,  N.  Y. 


33 

A  few  weeks  later  he  was  able  to  cross  the  ocean  ; 
and  the  next  ten  and  a  half  months,  July  2,  1859  ^^ 
May  19,  i860,  were  spent  in  traveling  in  Europe, 
Egypt  and  Palestine.  He  was  well  equipped  to  get 
the  most  from  such  a  tour ;  and  that  he  did  so,  his 
delightful  letters  to  the  New  York  Herald,  the  Trib- 
une, the  Christian  Intelligencer,  the  Independent,  the 
Observer,  the  Evangelist,  and  other  papers,  abundantly 
testified. 

On  his  return  he  received  calls  from  churches  In 
Paterson,  N.  J.,  and  Owego  and  Albion,  N.  Y.  He 
accepted  the  latter,  believing,  or  at  least  hoping,  that 
he  was  now  strong  enough  to  endure  pastoral  labor. 
But  a  very  few  months  proved  the  contrary,  and,  to 
the  great  regret  of  his  people,  who  had  already 
become  tenderly  attached  to  him,  he  resigned. 

On  the  5th  of  June,  1861,  Mr.  Welch  was  married 
to  Miss  Lydia  G.  Kennedy  of  Clifton  Park,  N.  Y. 
Of  the  beautiful  and  happy  family  life  thus  begun  I 
may  not  speak  in  detail.  Nor  is  it  necessary  among 
those  that  have  witnessed  it,  and  have  enjoyed  that 
cordial,  refined.  Christian  hospitality  whose  charm 
owed  no  less  to  the  native  tact,  delicate  thoughtful- 
ness  and  sparkling  conversation  of   the  devoted  wife 


34 

than  to  the  elegant  courtesy,  acute  observation,  wide 
learning  and  ready  wit  of  the  tender  husband. 

The  next  five  years  were  spent  at  Clifton  Park,  by 
no  means  in  idleness,  for  Mr.  Welch  read  constantly 
and  in  many  lines ;  travelled  much  m  this  country ; 
and  wrote  numerous  letters  and  articles  for  news- 
papers, magazines  and  quarterlies.  But  the  main 
business  of  this  period  was  to  regain  health,  and  this 
he  did  slowly  but  surely. 

In  1866,  upon  the  election  of  his  classmate,  pro- 
fessor N.  G.  Clark,  as  secretary  of  the  American 
Board,  Mr.  Welch  succeeded  him  as  professor  of 
Logic,  Rhetoric  and  English  Literature  in  Union 
College.  I  was  then  a  junior  at  that  institution,  and 
vividly  remember  with  what  intense  interest  we 
scanned  the  face  of  the  new  professor  the  first  morn- 
ing he  appeared  at  chapel.  He  bore  the  scrutiny 
well.  His  remarkably  handsome,  cultured  face  ;  his 
erect,  soldierly  bearing ;  his  melodious,  carefully 
trained  voice  ;  his  dignified  but  perfectly  cordial  man- 
ners ;  at  once  won  all  hearts.  And  closer  acquaint- 
ance only  confirmed  first  impressions.  No  teacher 
could  be  more  fair  and  kind,  while  never  lowering 
the  standard  of  requirement.     His  department  imme- 


35 

diately  evidenced  his  power,  and  subsequent  com- 
mencements were  notable  for  the  very  high  order  of 
the  rhetorical  and  elocutionary  work  of  the  students. 

One  of  his  college  pupils^  says  :  "  He  gave  me 
some  of  the  best,  most  lasting  impressions  of  my 
life.  He  had  great  skill  in  laying  hold  of  crude 
young  men  ;  kindling  in  them  high  ambition  ;  firing 
them  with  earnest  belief  that  their  dreams  of  suc- 
cess might,  by  perseverance,  be  realized.  I  always 
admired  the  equipoise  of  the  man,  the  even  balance 
of  his  abilities  and  attainments.  To  the  Christian 
spirit  he  added  the  ready  tact  which  comes  only 
from  large  experience  with  the  world  ;  and  the  social 
refinement  to  produce  which  travel,  literature,  com- 
panionship with  cultured  circles, — all  must  blend.  I 
knew  him  as  the  accomplished  teacher  of  belles- 
lettres  ;  accurate,  elegant ;  raising  the  ideals  of  his 
classes ;  making  us  appreciate  how  broad,  varied, 
comprehensive,  should  be  the  education  of  the  Chris- 
tian scholar." 

Another,^  who  was  his  pupil  here  also,  writes  :  "  I 
shall  never  forget    the  afternoon  when  he  came    to 


1  Rev.  Horace  C.  Stanton,  Ph.  D.,  Albany,  N.  Y. 
*  Rev.  Newton  L.  Reed,  Glean,  N.  Y. 


36 

my  room  in  college  to  invite  to  his  house  one  of  the 
crudest  country  boys  that  ever  aspired  to  a  degree. 
And  that  evening  at  his  home  was  my  first  gHmpse 
of  that  Christian  refinement  and  social  power  so 
potent  in  his  contact  with  men." 

Another  •}  "  That  1  should  have  named  one  of  my 
sons  after  him  is  but  a  slight  evidence  of  the  rever- 
ence, the  appreciation,  the  love,  I  felt  toward  him." 

And  still  another  :^  "  He  seemed  almost  like  a 
father  to  me.  I  shall  never  forget  his  interest  in 
me,  and  the  great  kindness  he  always  showed  me. 
I  feel  that  all  I  am,  and  all  the  success  I  may  have 
had,  is  due  to  him.  I  should  like  to  prove  myself 
not  wholly  unworthy  of  his  great  regard  and  loving 
thought  for  me." 

His  ten  years  at  Schenectady  witnessed  sad  troubles 
in  the  college,  that  brought  deep  grief  to  his  gentle 
and  peace-loving  heart.  They  also  overloaded  him 
with  labors.  After  president  Hickok's  retirement  in 
1868,  professor  Welch  taught  metaphysics,  and  part 
of  the  time  political  economy.  When  he  had  gone, 
the  work  that  he  had  done  unaided  and  without  com- 

'  Prof.  John  G.  Lansing,  D.  D.,  New  Brunswick,  N.  J. 
">  Rev.  George  Fairlee,  Troy,  N.  V. 


37 

plaint  had  to  be  divided  among  several  instructors. 
But  he  found  time  for  much  literary  labor.  In  1865-7, 
the  Methodist  Quarterly  Review  published  four  elabo- 
rate articles  from  his  pen,  on  "  The  Greek  Church." 
In  1874,  the  American  Church  Review  had  a  notable 
article  on  "Periods  of  Transition  in  English  History." 
In  1876,  he  was  one  of  the  centennial  preachers  for 
the  Reformed  (Dutch)  Church,  his  theme  being 
"The  Hereditary  Interest"  of  that  Church  "in  all 
forms  of  Education."  He  was  an  active  member  of 
the  University  Convocation  of  this  state,  before  which 
he  read  the  profound  paper  on  "  The  Modern  Theory 
of  Forces,"  that  was  the  germ  of  his  book,  "  Faith 
and  Modern  Thought."  This  volume  was  published 
early  in  1876,  with  an  appreciative  preface  by  Dr. 
Tayler  Lewis,  whose  name  sheds  such  splendid  lustre, 
not  only  on  Union  College,  but  on  American  scholar- 
ship. Dr.  Hickok  pronounced  Dr.  Welch's  treatment 
of  his  theme,  "original  and  vigorous."  Prof.  Benja- 
min N.  Martin  of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New 
York,  wrote  :  "  I  am  much  struck  with  the  complete- 
ness of  your  exhibition  of  the  force  philosophy,  as 
presented  by  the  physical  writers.  You  have  left 
none  of  them  unexplored,  or  unappreciated." 


38 

His  labors  were  widely  recognized.  In  1868,  Rut- 
gers College  and  the  New  York  University,  each 
conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  ; 
and  in  1872,  Maryville  College  that  of  Doctor  of 
Laws. 

In  the  autumn  of  1876  there  came  to  him,  unsought 
and  unexpected,  the  call  to  the  chair  of  Richards  and 
Hickok  and  Hall.  To  those  that  best  knew  both 
Auburn  and  Dr.  Welch,  the  fitness  seemed  ideal. 
"  His  theological  position  was  rather  that  of  the 
consensus  of  the  creeds  of  the  Reformed  churches, 
than  that  of  the  Westminster  standards  taken  by 
themselves."  ^  He  was  a  loyal,  liberal  Calvinist. 
He  aimed  at  a  Christo-centric  theology.  He  pro- 
foundly reverenced  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  said  in 
his  masterly  inaugural  :^  "  Our  theology  must  be  con- 
structed, not  from  philosophy  and  science,  but  from 
divine  revelation."  I  personally  know  how  strongly 
the  title  ^  of  this  chair  attracted  him.  Becoming  a 
theologian  did  not  unmake  him  as  an  exegete.  He 
had  a  well-defined  philosophy,  but  no  one  would  ever 


'Prof.  W.  J.  Beecher,  in  Pres.  &  Ref'd.  Review,  Oct.  1890,  p.  661. 
*Oct.  3,  1877. 

^  "  Christian  Theology,"  as  distinguished  from  "'  Dogmatics,"  or  "  System- 
atic Theology,"  or  "  Didactic  Theologj-." 


39 

suspect  him  of  twisting  the  Bible  into  conformity  to 
it,  or  of  defending  it  by  isolated  proof  texts,  falsely 
so  called.  Entirely  conversant  with  the  past,  he  did 
not  make  it  a  fetich  ;  nor  imagine  that  the  last  word 
had  been  spoken  by  the  fathers,  the  schoolmen,  or 
even  the  reformers.  His  face  was  toward  the  east ; 
and  no  one  could  conceive  his  glorying  in  the  thought 
that  no  new  idea  in  theology  could  be  promulgated 
in  Auburn  while  he  filled  this  honored  chair.  The 
pastorate  was  the  work  he  most  loved  ;  its  spirit  never 
left  him  ;  and  he  taught  a  preachable,  workable,  evan- 
gelizing Christian  theology,  as  only  one  that  has  been 
a  practical  pastor  can  do.  He  accepted  the  place 
with  his  whole  heart ;  and  so  in  all  respects,  he  fitted 
into  the  historic  niche  of  Auburn  to  a  nicety. 

Dr.  Henry  A.  Nelson,  in  his  address  of  welcome 
said  :  "  We  have  no  doubt  that,  with  daily  study  and 
daily  prayer,  you  will,  with  ever  increasing  ability 
teach  Christian  theology,  the  theology  of  the  Chris- 
tian Scriptures.  We  have  no  fear  that  such  study  and 
prayer  will  discover  any  serious  disagreement  between 
the  Scriptures  and  our  Westminster  symbols  ;  but  we 
put  no  restraint  upon  your  endeavor  to  ascertain 
whether  there  is  not  more  of  theology  in  the  Bible 


40 

than  those  symbols  have  stated,  and  whether  aught 
that  is  therein  stated  can  be  stated  more  clearly,  more 
intelligibly,  more  availably  for  the  instruction  of  God's 
people  and  their  children.  To  such  faithful  endeavor 
a  fair  construction  of  your  inaugural  vow  pledges 
you." 

He  began  his  work  here  with  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1877;  ^^^^  ^^  ^^  Union  College,  immediately 
won  the  hearts  of  his  pupils.  He  never  treated 
doubts  harshly  or  trivially.  He  asked  no  young  man 
to  accept  his  ipse  dixit.  He  aimed  to  set  every  one 
to  thinking,  and  so  to  develop  his  best  personality. 
He  never  forgot  that  his  errand  was  to  train  up,  not 
professional  theologians,  but  preachers  and  pastors 
for  the  living  church.  He  subordinated  scholarship 
to  Christian  discipleship,  according  to  his  own  maxim 
that  "character  is  much  more  to  be  desired  than 
gifts."  One  of  his  pupils,^  now  a  missionary  at 
Teheran,  Persia,  wrote,  a  few  days  ^  after  hearing  of 
Dr.  Welch's  death  :  "  Christ  was  his  great  theme. 
Many  times  during  these  last  three  or  four  days,  I 
have  gone  back    to   the    old  class-room  in    the  old 

'  Rev.  Lewis  F.  Esselstyn. 
'Aug.   13,  1S90. 


41 

chapel  building,  and  listened  again  to  him  as  he 
gradually  warmed  to  his  subject,  waxed  eloquent, 
and  lost  himself  and  us  in  his  theme  so  entirely 
that  we  all  forgot  when  the  hour  expired."  Such 
teaching  is  safe  from  the  reproach  often  aimed  at  our 
seminaries,  that  they  are  detrimental,  or  even  fatal, 
to  vital  piety.  Dr.  Welch  was  first  and  foremost  a 
fervent  Christian  ;  and  no  philosophizing  or  theolo- 
gizing could  obscure  this  in  the  eyes  of  his  pupils. 
He  taught  grandly  with  his  noble  equipment  of  log- 
ical acumen,  pellucid  expression,  varied  and  thorough 
scholarship  ;  he  taught  more  grandly  still  by  his  stead- 
fast faith,  his  unfailing  patience,  his  transparent  sin- 
cerity, his  deep  human  sympathy,  and  above  all,  his 
passionate  devotion  to  Christ. 

The  coming  to  Auburn  involved  new  ecclesiastical 
relations.  He  had  been  twenty-three  years  in  the 
ministry  of  the  Reformed  (Dutch)  church  ;  and  had 
comparatively  small  acquaintance  in  Presbyterian 
clerical  circles.  But  he  fell  easily  into  his  new  envi- 
ronment. He  was  not  an  ecclesiastic,  either  by  taste 
or  knowledge,  or  training  ;  but  he  was  a  faithful 
presbyter,  doing  his  duty  conscientiously  in  this  rela- 
tion as  in  every  other.     In  the  denomination  at  large 


42 

the  challenge  of  his  position  was  tremendous  ;  he  must 
stand  beside  such  men  as  Morris  at  Cincinnati,  Pat- 
ton  at  Chicago,  the  Hodofes  at  Princeton,  Shedd  and 
Henry  B.  Smith  in  New  York.  The  estimate  and 
welcome  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  this 
Seminary,  were  ratified  by  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  by  the  Christian  church  generally.  Responsibil- 
ities and  honors  came  quite  as  fast  as  he  could  meet 
them.  In  1881  he  became  one  of  the  editors  of  the 
Presbyterian  Review,  and  continued  in  the  same  rela- 
tion to  its  successor,  the  Presbyterian  and  Reformed 
Review.  He  represented  our  church  as  delegate  to 
the  Presbyterian  Alliance  in  1884  at  Belfast,  and  in 
1888  at  London.  At  the  former  he  read,  by  appoint- 
ment, a  paper  on  ministerial  duty.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  General  Assembly's  committee  to  revise 
the  proof  texts  of  the  Confession  of  Faith,  and  of 
its  committee  of  conference  on  the  organic  unity  of 
the  Christian  church.  In  all  these  positions  he  hon- 
ored himself  and  those  that  trusted  him. 

But  the  denominational  limits  of  even  so  great  a 
church  as  ours  could  not  confine  his  activity  and  use- 
fulness. He  contributed  largely  to  the  Indepe7tdent, 
and  other  weekly  journals  ;  to  the  Princeton  Review 


43 

and  the  Homiletic  Review,  to  the  Old  a7id  New  Tes- 
tament Student,  and  to  other  magazines.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Victoria  Institute,  and  one  of  the  most 
active  men  in  the  American  Institute  of  Christian  Phil- 
osophy, a  number  of  important  papers  that  he  read 
before  it  being  subsequently  published  in  Christian 
Thought.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  World's  Con- 
vention of  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations  at 
Berlin  in  1884,  and  to  the  World's  Missionary  Con- 
ference at  London  in  1888.  Everywhere  he  readily 
took  a  foremost  place,  not  by  self-assertion,  which 
was  totally  alien  to  his  nature,  but  by  genuine  and 
quickly  recognized  merit  and  fidelity. 

During  all  these  years  of  abounding  professional 
and  literary  labors,  he  was  never  for  an  hour  a  mere 
book-worm  and  recluse.  He  was  thoroughly  en  rap- 
port with  his  age.  Politics,  social  problems,  all 
reforms,  he  studied,  sympathized  with,  and  as  far  as 
possible  shared  in.  I  shall  never  forget  his  high  dis- 
course on  national  themes,  as,  one  year  ago  this  very 
day,  we  stood  together  before  yonder  statue  of  Sew- 
ard, whose  name  has  made  your  beautiful  city  famous 
throughout  the  world,  and  were  thrilled  anew  by  that 
great  statesman's  sublime  appeal  from  even  the  con- 


44 

stitution  of  his  country  to  the  "  higher  law."  How 
Dr.  Welch's  eye  kindled ;  how  his  form  became,  if 
possible,  more  erect ;  how  his  voice  deepened  and 
quivered  ;  how  his  soul  shone  out  through  its  too 
frail  tabernacle  ;  only  those  can  appreciate  that  have 
enjoyed  the  rare  privilege  of  being  with  him  in  such 
moments  of  inspiration.  He  was  eminently  a  Chris- 
tian patriot. 

And  he  always  kept  his  heart  in  warm  contact  with 
the  living  church,  and  the  active  working  world  ;  not 
an  easy  thing  to  do  in  the  philosophical  atmosphere 
and  scholarly  seclusion  of  a  theological  professorship. 
To  the  limit  of  his  strength,  and  beyond  it,  he 
preached  in  the  surrounding  churches,  and  at  your 
noble  neighboring  University  of  Cornell — as  cheer- 
fully in  the  smallest  village  as  in  the  largest  city,  and 
always  with  great  acceptance.  He  addressed  temper- 
ance meetings,  and  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tion anniversaries,  Bible  society  and  missionary  gath- 
erings. He  voiced  your  grief  when  Garfield  fell  by  the 
bullet  of  an  assassin.  He  spoke  for  this  Seminary  at 
the  Centennial  Assembly  at  Philadelphia,  and  nobly 
vindicated  its  historic  position  as  to  Christian  doctrine. 
He  stood  for  substantial  revision  of  the  Westminster 


45 

Confession  of  Faith  ;  and  with  his  co-presbyter,  Dr. 
Sprague,  did  a  great  work  in  showing  how  this  can 
be  accomplished  along  the  lines  of  the  Larger  and 
Shorter  Catechisms.  In  the  noblest  sense,  he  was  a 
man  of  affairs,  sensitive  to  the  best  thought  of  his 
day,  and  well  abreast  of  every  forward  movement  for 
man  and  for  Christ. 

These  multifarious  activities  were  not  those  of  a 
robust  man,  of  sound  health,  in  whom  overflowing 
vitality  is  an  imperative  summons  to  labor.  He  had 
a  feeble  constitution,  and  never  knew  what  it  is  to 
be  perfectly  well.  He  worked  all  his  life  against  the 
great  odds  of  constant  need  of  care  and  almost  con- 
stant suffering.  This  meant  loss  of  time  and  oppor- 
tunity that  he  deeply  deplored.  But,  despite  all,  his 
industry  was  prodigious.  He  acquired  readily,  but 
did  not  write  easily.  Every  important  letter  was  first 
committed  to  paper  in  pencil,  and  then  copied.  His 
reviews,  essays,  sermons,  were  carefully  revised  and 
re-written.  He  jotted  down  thoughts  on  scraps  of 
paper,  which  became  the  material  for  his  most  elab- 
orate articles.  He  practiced  what  he  taught  his 
pupils,  that  whatever  is  worth  doing  at  all,  is  worth 
doing  well.     Having   accomplished  what    he  did   in 


46 

the  face  of  early  poverty  and  life-long  infirmity,  he 
believed  there  is  no  limit  of  possibilities  for  the 
majority  of  young  men  ;  and  it  was  by  this  practical 
faith  that  he  stimulated  so  many  of  his  pupils  to 
noble  ambition  and  self-sacrificing  living. 

"  A  clergyman's  virtues  consist  not  in  singularities. 
All  Christian  excellence  is  in  great  and  substantial 
duties ;  in  the  doctrines  of  faith  cordially  embraced 
and  applied  ;  in  the  love  of  God  ;  in  charity  to  man  ; 
in  temperance,  in  integrity,  in  humility  ;  in  the  con- 
trol of  the  appetites  and  desires  ;  in  prayer  and  other 
exercises  of  piety  ;  in  the  fixed  love  and  admiration 
of  heavenly  things."^  If  this  is  a  true  ideal  for  the 
minister  of  Christ,  Dr.  Welch  realized  it  to  a  singu- 
lar degree.  He  knew  how  to  live  as  a  true  man 
among  men.  A  member"^  of  one  of  the  leading  firms 
in  this  city,  writes  :  "  Our  business  relations  for  a 
number  of  years  have  been  exceedingly  pleasant. 
His  confidence  in  us,  his  cheerful  smile  and  conversa- 
tion when  in  our  office,  can  not  be  forgotten.  I  can 
honestly  say  that  in  all  our  business  experience,  we 
never  met  more  of   a  gentleman,  more  of   a  man." 

'John  Davidson,  quoted  by  Cardinal  Newman,  Essays,  Vol.   II,  p.  394; 
Lickering,  London,  1871. 
'  Mr.  Fred  H.  Fay. 


47 

Such  plain  but  sterling  business  virtues  are  com- 
monly thought  to  be  all  too  rare  in  clergymen.  Yet, 
he  was  emphatically  a  heavenly-minded  man.  "He 
was  as  true  in  his  loyalty  to  the  good  and  the  right 
he  was  courteous  and  kind."^  He  was  genuinely 
humble.  Flattering  attentions  at  home  and  abroad, 
multiplied  scholastic  and  ecclesiastical  honors,  left  no 
stain  upon  his  beautiful  simplicity.  Pain  never 
soured  the  sweetness  of  his  disposition.  Disappoint- 
ments never  made  him  misanthropic.  He  took  no 
pleasure  in  searching  for  evil  in  his  fellow-men,  but 
found  a  deep  joy  in  discovering  good  that  others 
had  overlooked.  His  keen  wit  was  never  caustic. 
His  sharp  arrows  of  repartee  were  never  poisoned. 
Petty  jealousies  and  rivalries  he  hated  with  godly 
hatred.  After  a  familiar  friendship  of  many  years,  I 
can  not  recall  one  word  of  his  I  would  wish  unsaid, 
one  act  I  would  wish  undone. 

Nor  did  the  charm  come  only  with  long  acquaint- 
ance ;  it  was  immediate.  "  No  one  could  know  pro- 
fessor Welch  even  casually,  without  loving  him. 
Sweet  in  temper  as  a  woman ;  guileless  as  a  child  ; 
mighty  against  all  unrighteousness  ;   theologically,  I 

'  Dr.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler. 


48 

think  of  him  somewhat  as  I  do  of  St.  John  the 
divine  ;  he  went  down  very  deep  toward  the  under- 
lying fundamentals,  and  he  soared  high  toward  the 
throne."'  A  most  estimable  lady,^  whose  guest  he 
was  in  London  in  1888,  writes  :  "  We  never  had  any 
one  stopping  with  us  that  we  liked  so  much,  or  that 
seemed  to  us  such  a  model  of  a  Christian  ofentleman, 
in  the  highest  sense.  He  was  so  gentle  and  loving, 
kind  and  humble,  and  yet  so  bright  and  cheerful 
always;  and  how  unwilling  to  give  any  trouble  !  His 
prayers  were  so  beautiful  that  we  could  not  help  feel- 
ing he  lived  very  close  to  the  dear  Saviour."  That 
from  an  acquaintance  of  a  few  days,  and  this  from  a 
classmate  and  life-long  friend  :"^  "He  was  to  me  the 
very  type  of  the  Christian  scholar;  of  rich,  sweet 
spirit  ;  the  soul  of  courtesy  ;  generous  in  all  his 
thought  and  sentiment  ;  ever  loyal  to  Christ  and 
his  truth." 

Another  writes  :  ^  "  Something  over  two  years  ago, 
it  was  my  privilege  to  cross  the  Atlantic  on  the  same 
steamer  with  Professor  and  Mrs.  Welch,  and  also  to  see 

'  Rev.  John  Gordon,  D.  D.,  Omaha,  Neb. 
'  Mrs.  Galbraith. 
'  Dr.  N.  G.  Clark. 
*  Dr.  F.  F.  Ellinwood. 


49 

much  of  him  in  the  Missionary  Conference  and  the 
meeting  of  the  Presbyterian  Alliance,  both  of  which  he 
attended,  in  the  city  of  London.  In  our  promenades 
upon  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  at  the  table  in  the  din- 
ing saloon,  on  the  floor  of  the  Conference  and  the 
Alliance  meeting,  in  the  many  little  gatherings  of  a 
social  nature  connected  with  these  great  occasions,  I 
had  opportunity  to  see  many  sides  of  Dr.  Welch's 
character,  and  I  found  that,  as  with  a  true  diamond, 
from  whatever  angle  I  contemplated  him,  there  was 
always  to  be  seen  the  same  central  light  of  truth. 
He  stands  in  my  memory  as  a  model  of  the  Chris- 
tian gentleman  and  the  cultivated  Christian  scholar. 
In  London,  he  received  the  hospitality  of  some  of 
the  most  distinguished  of  all  those  who  entertained 
the  members  of  the  Missionary  Conference,  and  it 
was  a  satisfaction  to  us  to  know  that  America  was  so 
well  represented  in  those  highest  and  yet  most  Chris- 
tian circles,  whose  good  opinion  of  our  countrymen 
our  national  pride  led  us  to  value  most." 

Surely  it  must  have  been  a  singularly  consistent 
and  symmetrical  Christian  character  that  could  make 
such  an  impression  at  the  very  first,  and  maintain  and 
deepen  it  through  the  varied  tests  of  many  years. 


50 

Dr.  Welch's  life-long  habit  of  enduring  pain  with 
Christian  fortitude  stood  him  in  good  stead  during 
his  last  year  on  earth.  He  believed  that  he  was  in 
the  relentless  grasp  of  a  mortal  disease  ;  almost  daily 
in  his  prayers  at  family  worship,  he  alluded  to  it.  A 
less  brave  man  would  have  faltered.  A  less  devoted 
disciple  of  Christ  would  have  laid  down  his  work. 
He  did  neither.  So  unmurmuringly  and  patiently 
that  his  students,  and  neighbors,  and  even  his  near 
friends,  knew  nothing  of  his  condition,  he  taught  his 
classes  as  usual  ;  was  always  in  his  place  at  their  devo- 
tional meetings  ;  kept  up  his  large  correspondence  ; 
reviewed  many  books  ;  wrote  for  the  reviews;  main- 
tained the  reputation  of  his  home  for  ungrudging 
and  cordial  hospitality.  If  any  man  ever  fulfilled 
Dr.  Roswell  D.  Hitchcock's  counsel  to  one  of  his 
classes,  it  was  Dr.  Welch  :  "  At  whatever  cost,  accept 
the  service  offered  you,  high  or  low,  far  or  near. 
Then  burn  to  the  socket."^ 

But  when  the  last  Seminary  year  closed,  he  knew 
that  the  flame  was  flickering  low.  He  accepted  cheer- 
fully his  Master's  will.  He  felt  as  Mr.  Bancroft,  the 
illustrious  historian  of  the  United  States,  wrote  to  a 

'  Eternal  Atonement,  p.  165. 


51 

friend  in  1882  :  *'  I  was  trained  to  look  upon  life  here 
as  a  season  for  labor.  Being  more  than  four  score 
years  old,  I  know  the  time  for  my  release  will  soon 
come.  Conscious  of  being  near  the  shore  of  eter- 
nity, I  await,  without  impatience  and  without  dread, 
the  beckoning  of  the  hand  that  will  summon  me  to 
rest."  ^  Dr.  Welch  had  not  Mr.  Bancroft's  comfort 
of  knowing  that  he  had  finished  man's  allotted  time 
on  earth  ;  he  was  in  his  67th  year,  when  many  men 
are  still  almost  in  their  prime.  Nor  was  his  resigna- 
tion the  cover  of  morbid  disgust  with  life,  or  cowardly 
shrinking  from  its  burdens.  He  longed  to  live.  In 
a  well-worn  volume  of  Tennyson  that  he  carried, 
these  lines,  among  others,  are  marked  : 

•'  Whatever  crazy  sorrow  saith, 

"  No  life  that  breaths  with  human  breath 

"  Has  ever  truly  longed  for  death. 

"  'Tis  life  whereof  our  nerves  are  scant ; 
"  O,  life,  not  death,  for  which  we  pant  ; 
"More  life  and  fuller  that  I  want." 

And  so  he  did  what  he  could  to  get  well  again. 
Faithfully  attended  by  his  devoted  wife,  he  set  out 

'  To  S.  Austin  AUibone,  Decoration  Day,  1882. 


52 

for  the  Hot  Springs  of  Virginia.  He  tarried  with  us 
a  few  too  brief  days  at  the  Capital.  We  were  told  of 
his  illness — not  by  himself;  but  he  was  so  bright  and 
brave  we  could  not  help  believing  that  love  exagger- 
ated the  peril.  There  was  no  abatement  of  his  inter- 
est in  public  affairs.  He  was  as  anxious  as  ever  to 
see  and  meet  great  and  good  men.  An  interview 
between  him  and  General  Fremont  was  something 
never  to  be  forgotten.  His  prayers  in  the  household 
were  "as  ointment  poured  forth."  Never  had  his 
faith  seemed  more  serene  ;  his  friendships  more  pre- 
cious ;  his  love  to  God  and  man  more  profound  ;  his 
vision  of  Heaven  more  unclouded. 

At  the  Hot  Springs  he  grew  rapidly  worse,  and  a 
change  was  made  to  the  Healing  Springs.  Alas,  they 
were  wrongly  named,  for  him.  When  told  that  the 
end  was  near,  he  accepted  the  message  as  calmly  as 
if  it  had  been  a  permit  to  go  to  his  Auburn  home. 
Then  came  days  of  patient  waiting  and  of  exquisite 
suffering.  "You  are  going,"  said  his  wife,  "where 
there  is  no  more  pain."  He  cried  :  "  I  am  glad  it  is 
so  ;  O,  I  am  glad  it  is  so ! "  On  one  of  the  last  days 
she  asked,  "  What  shall  I  read  aloud  ? "  "  Read  from 
the   14th  chapter  of  John."    When  she  reached  the 


53 

queries  of  Thomas  and  Philip,  he  said  :  "  Ah,  there 
questions  arise  ;  let  us  dismiss  them,  and  dwell  only 
on  the  promises.  As  I  become  weaker,  I  realize 
more  and  more  that  Jesus  is  not  only  kind  and  gra- 
cious and  loving,  but  that  he  is  also  a  strong  Savior. 
There  is  a  divine  side  of  upholding  strength,  and  I 
sink  my  own  weakness  into  His  almightiness."  "  Do 
you  regret  leaving  home  ?  "  "  No."  "  Would  you  not 
have  been  more  comfortable  there  ? "  More  comfort- 
able ?  Yes.  But  '  comfortable  '  is  not  the  word,  you 
know.  We  have  followed  the  best  of  advice.  Our 
life  is  given  us  to  make  the  most  of,  and  we  have 
tried  to  do  this.  The  end  must  come  at  last ;  and 
having  acted  according  to  the  best  of  our  knowledge, 
we  should  have  no  regrets."  And  so,  with  faith 
unclouded,  and  fortitude  unexhausted,  on  Sunday 
morning,  the  29th  of  June,  1890,  at  half  past  six,  he 
fell  asleep. 

Amid  all  the  beautiful  characteristics  of  his  Chris- 
tian life,  these  predominated  :  a  profound  conviction 
of  sin  and  an  intense  love  for  his  Savior.  In  his  last 
days  of  agon}'',  he  used  often  to  exclaim  :  "  What  a 
dreadful  thing  sin  must  be  to  bring  such  suffering 
as  this  !  "     He  returned  from  many  an  evening  walk 


54 

sadly  depressed  in  spirit  because  he  saw  so  many 
human  beings  apparently  going  to  destruction.  "  He 
longed  inexpressibly  to  see  the  Christ.  And  some- 
times, when  his  soul  was  lifted  in  prayer,  it  seemed 
as  if  the  vision  was  vouchsafed  him.  But  it  was  not 
the  Christ  child  that  appeared  to  him,  as  to  St. 
Christopher,  and  St.  Anthony  of  Padua ;  it  was 
rather  the  risen  Christ,  still  bearing  the  wound-prints 
in  his  hands  and  feet  and  side.  It  was  the  risen 
Savior,  who  having  made  atonement  for  sin,  and 
having  triumphed  over  death,  now  came  with  this 
cheering  message,  '  Fear  not ;  for  I  have  redeemed 
thee ;  thou  art  mine.'"^  And  now  at  last  he  sees  Him 
face  to  face,  where  "  there  shall  be  no  more  death  ; 
neither  sorrow  nor  crying ;  neither  shall  there  be  any 
more  pain." 

Dr.  Welch  had  an  intense  love  for  his  home  and 
all  its  surroundings.  He  loved  his  pastor,  this 
church,  this  city  and  all  its  people.  It  is  at  his  own 
desire  that  his  ashes  repose  in  your  beautiful  Fort 
Hill  cemetery.  And  he  loved  his  colleagues  and  his 
students.  He  not  only  gave  to  Auburn  Seminary  his 
ripest  years  and  powers  in  ungrudging  service,  but 

'  Mrs.  Welch. 


55 

he  left  the  munificent  bequest  of  $36,000  to  enlarge 
its  usefulness.  "  This  was  not  the  gift  of  a  rich  man, 
from  his  abundance.  It  was  not  the  result  of  a 
fortunate  speculation,  or  of  an  unforeseen  advance 
in  the  value  of  property.  It  was  simply  the  sav- 
ings of  a  careful,  economical,  self-denying,  hard- 
working, honest  man,  whose  income  was  never  so 
small  that  he  did  not  put  aside  a  part  of  it."^  With 
his  fondness  for  travel,  for  good  books,  for  works  of 
art ;  his  adaptation  by  natural  bent  and  by  cultivation 
for  luxurious  living ;  it  would  have  been  easy  for 
him  to  spend  this  sum,  and  much  more,  in  the  mere 
gratification  of  refined  tastes ;  a  self-indulgence  that 
most  men  would  readily  have  found  reasons  to  justify 
to  their  consciences.  His  gift  thus  means  more  than 
economy  ;  more  than  ordinary  generosity  ;  it  means 
the  habitual  dominance  of  a  sanctified  will  over  his 
entire  manner  of  life.  When  the  building  thus  pro- 
vided for  shall  stand  beside  those  erected  by  other 
generous  friends  of  sacred  learning,  may  it  speak  to 
teachers  and  pupils  and  citizens,  of  something  more 
enduring  than  its  own  granite,  the  love  of  God  and 
of  man  that  never  faileth  ;    the  love  that  burned  so 

'  Mrs.  Welch. 


56 

brightly  in  that  heart  that  has  ceased  to  beat  on 
earth,  in  that  hfe  that  is  now  blossoming  and  fruiting 
in  heaven. 

Diligent  student ;  tender  pastor  ;  skillful  teacher  ; 
good  citizen  ;  kind  neighbor ;  faithful  friend  ;  consci- 
entious steward  ;  devoted  husband  ;  humble,  devout, 
zealous,  consistent  Christian,  glorified  saint,  "until 
the  day  break  and  the  shadows  flee  away,"  hail  and 
farewell ! 


Date  Due 

y^CVlL^^ 

\  ' 

^ 

I  nil  IIP 
1    1 


01 


ilii  ill  il  illl  hi  lliiill 

2  01045  6293 


